


Even after all these years

by Lieutenant_Romanoff



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: (briefly) - Freeform, Breaking Up & Making Up, Jack's a bit of an ass, M/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Multi, Reaper76 Reverse Big Bang, family au, featuring baby sombra and jesse, wholesome children trying to set their dad up
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-22
Updated: 2017-11-22
Packaged: 2019-02-05 18:46:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,488
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12800130
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lieutenant_Romanoff/pseuds/Lieutenant_Romanoff
Summary: Jack and Gabriel broke up 10 years ago and Gabriel hasn't been the same since. Sombra and Jesse take it upon themselves to improve their Dad's mood by hooking him up on a date.





	Even after all these years

**Author's Note:**

> Holy crap the posting date is finally here! Been working on this for a good few weeks now and it's super weird to be finally posting it.
> 
>  
> 
> I was paired with the lovely Hiighnooning who drew the most adorable fanart of Gabe and Jack with their kids Jesse and Sombra. I was so glad I got to write a cute little family fic and I managed to make it not too angsty (well there's a little angst in the middle but hey that's normal for me). Go check out the art here
> 
> http://hiighnooning.tumblr.com/post/167774806701/my-submission-for-the-reaper76-reverse-big-bang
> 
> and tell her how amazing it is <3 
> 
>  
> 
> Warnings for language, terrible Overwatch references, too many ships, the British McDonalds menu and references to my own life

“For the last time I didn’t know it was illegal, papá”

“You say that every time something like this happens, Sombra! I’ve had enough!”

“It’s not my fault they aren’t clear about what you can and can’t do. They should just write this stuff down…”

“IT’S WRITTEN IN THE LAW, SOMBRA” 

Jesse sighed and lowered his hat even further down his face, hoping it would somehow save him from his family’s argument. The last thing he wanted was to be dragged into the argument by either his sister or even worse by his dad who would inevitably say something like-

“And where were you during all this, Jesse?” Boom. There it was.

“How come I get dragged into this mess? Sombra’s the one that fucked up not me!” Jesse argued back. Sombra shot him a glare but he ignored it, choosing instead to stare his fuming father down.

“I know that, Jesse. But I would’ve thought you’d keep an eye on her!” 

“I’m 16 papá are you serious?” Sombra crossed her arms against her chest but Gabriel chose to ignore his youngest child’s comment.

“Where were you last night when this was happening, huh?” 

“Does it matter?” Jesse shifted uncomfortably in his seat. Gabriel responded merely by raising an eyebrow. 

“Ugh fine. I was at Hanzo’s.” He mumbled.

“Of course you were. You’re always there!” The older man threw his arms into the air in annoyance and Jesse bristled at the action.

“He’s my boyfriend, what do you expect?” 

“For you to take some responsibility! I can’t do everything in this damn house, I need you around, I need you to do something. Like make sure your sister isn’t hacking into the fucking CIA or… whatever!”

“Hmm… haven’t tried that one yet…” Sombra muttered thoughtfully.

“Don’t you even think about it niña” Gabriel threatened which made Sombra huff and mutter something under her breath about him being a ‘boring old man with no sense of rebellion’.

“I can’t be here all the damn time, you can’t expect that of me.” Jesse resumed their argument.

“I expect you to not be at Hanzo’s every night though!” Jesse rolled his eyes. Okay that was a total overreaction. He was there maybe three times a week. Or four… possibly five. 

“You’re overreacting honestly. Besides, this is about Sombra not me!” Jesse desperately tried to turn the conversation back towards his sister who looked at him with mock betrayal. 

“This is about both of you. And both of you are grounded for two weeks. That means no internet, Sombra.” Sombra muttered something obscene under her breath and Jesse’s jaw dropped.

“I’m 18, I’m an adult! You can’t ground me!” Jesse practically screamed at his father.

“As long as you live under my roof I can do what I want, Jesse Reyes.” Gabriel snapped. “Now get out of my sight.”

Jesse practically jumped off his seat and, clutching his cowboy hat to his head, stormed upstairs to his bedroom. He slammed the door shut and threw himself heartily onto the bed.

“This is such BULLSHIT.” He snarled into his pillow. 

He was fuming. This happened every time. Sombra would get herself into trouble, make their dad mad and then Jesse would somehow end up getting dragged into it as well. It was utterly unfair, the old man just snapped at the slightest things nowadays and his anger always ended up getting taken out on his kids. That wasn’t to say the two were completely innocent and never deserving of punishment, but Jesse was adamant that they didn’t deserve this kind of treatment. Well, Sombra had hacked into her school files and increased her and her friends’ grades, literally breaking the law, so perhaps she did deserve this but Jesse certainly didn’t!

Jesse’s angry thoughts about injustice were interrupted by a sharp knock on his door.

“Fuck off.” The door opened anyway to reveal his sister’s grinning face.

“Now that’s not polite is it, big brother?” She teased, already taking several steps into the room.

“What part of fuck off don’t you understand, Sombra?” His sister just shrugged dismissively.

“I’m too young and pure to understand such vulgar language, Jesse.” That got a snort out of the man on the bed.

“I’ve heard you saying far worse whilst playing those video games of yours.”

“Shhh, Dad doesn’t know that.” She shot him a wink and Jesse couldn’t help but smile at that. However much of a pain in the ass his sister was she was always able to coax a smile out of him even in his shittiest moods. 

“I think Dad knows more than we give him credit for.” Jesse sat up and perched himself next to Sombra who had already made herself comfortable at the end of his bed. 

“Yeah like you spending all your time at Hanzo’s. I told you he’d work it out eventually, you really aren’t as sneaky climbing that wall as you think you are.” 

“Shut up, I’m like a ninja.” Sombra snorted at that and shook her head.

“You’re a cowboy, not a ninja. Leave that sneaky shit to Genji, yeah?” 

“Why not be both? Cowboy ninja. The sneakiest gunslinger the West and East have ever seen!” Sombra grinned at his dumb antics. Jesse may be an adult according to the law but lord knows he didn’t act in any way like one. 

The pair sat in silence for a minute before Sombra began to shift uncomfortably. Jesse raised an eyebrow at her. It wasn’t like Sombra to not be blindingly happy or smug all the time so something was clearly bugging her. That being said, there was no point trying to force it out of the girl. That would never work.

When Gabriel had first adopted her, she hadn’t said a word to anyone, leading to therapists and child support officers declaring her to be mute. It was only Jesse who worked out the truth. After years of being picked up and abandoned by various foster families and individuals she had decided nobody was worthy of her voice if they were only going to leave her behind in the end. As for therapists trying to get her to speak, Sombra was adamant in her refusal to talk to anyone unless it was on her terms. Jesse spent days just playing with her in silence before Sombra finally opened her mouth to utter her first words.

“You’re not going to leave, are you?”

Jesse had enveloped the girl in a massive hug and promised her that he would never let anyone abandon her ever again. Sombra had since regained her voice and now rambled on about anything and everything to anyone who would give her chance to speak but there were still times when her early stubbornness came out. Feelings were still complicated to her and speaking her mind about emotional matters took time. Jesse and Gabriel knew that forcing these words out would do little good and so they were patient with her, allowing her to take all the time she needed. 

Jesse knew this was one of those times so he sat in silence and rested a hand on Sombra’s leg in an act of reassurance. She cleared her throat.

“I’m sorry you got dragged into all that. I really am.” 

“It’s fine, it ain’t your fault really.” Jesse might have been angry at his sister at first but it was honestly hard to stay mad at her. After all, she didn’t really know that their dad would react in the way that he had.

“You’re not… mad at me?” She peered up at him with concern lacing her expression. Jesse sighed.

“Nah. More mad at Dad to be honest.” Sombra let out a sigh of relief and a grin replaced her uncertain expression. She clearly felt more comfortable directing the conversation to their angry dad than her complex feelings and Jesse honestly couldn’t blame her.

“Yeah, that was quite the reaction” She almost seemed proud of herself and Jesse tutted at her.

“Don’t you look so smug. You’re grounded because of that, you know!” 

“Pfft, who cares? He can’t do shit when I’m at school and I know Satya will hook me up with a phone for the day.” 

“I don’t know what I expected.” Jesse sighed. Of course the ban wouldn’t affect his sister all that much. Her girlfriend’s family worked in the technology industry so although her phone and laptop would be locked off at home she had infinite access to anything she could want whilst she was at school. 

“Sorry about the Hanzo situation though…” Sombra looked almost genuinely apologetic which took Jesse by surprise.

“Oh. I’m sure it’ll be fine. Genji’s a ninja, remember? He’ll sneak him over if I ask.” Sombra grinned and raised her hand for a high five. Jesse gave her a solid high five which left his hand stinging. The best kind of high five.

“Soooo on the note of our cranky old man father… what are we going to do about that?” 

“What do you mean?” 

“How are we going to stop him being so, you know, miserable and angry?” 

“I don’t think that’s the issue here…”

“I think he needs to get laid.”

“Sombra!” Jesse spluttered.

“What? I reckon he’s lonely and miserable and just needs to get laid. That’ll stop him being so grumpy.”

“Better solution. Why don’t you stop hacking into shit. That might improve his mood.” Sombra shot him an unamused look.

“Come on, Jesse. We’re going with realistic options here.” She rolled her eyes.

“Oh and hooking our father up with some random guy for sex is a realistic option?” Jesse shuddered at having to say those words out loud. His father’s sex life was really, really not something he wanted to be discussing especially not with his younger sister.

“Not some random guy, come on Jesse. I mean like getting him in a relationship.” Sombra clarified.

“A relationship? Sombra, he hasn’t dated anyone seriously since… you know who.” Jesse pointed out, adamantly avoiding the name.

“For fuck’s sake Jesse he’s not Voldemort, you can say his name.” Sombra said irritably.

“You know how Dad gets about his name though.” His sister just sighed.

“I know, I know. Anyway my point is it’s been 10 years. Surely it’s time Dad got back into the dating scene.”

“Never say that again.” Jesse deadpanned. Sombra just ignored him.

“He’s clearly not going to do it himself so I think for the sake of his sanity, and also our asses, we should do it for him.” She declared.

“Alright say we do try and find him a date, how exactly do you plan to do this? We’re grounded and you have no internet access.” 

“Always the downer, Jesse.” Sombra tutted and Jesse raised his hands defensively. 

“I’m being realistic here!” His sister sighed and pulled her phone out of her pocket. “What the actual fu-”

“He sent us upstairs without taking our phones away. He’s an idiot sometimes.” Sombra pointed out between tapping her screen at lightning speed with her flawless purple nails. Jesse glanced at his bedside table and spotted his own phone sat there.

“Ah. I see.” 

“So we have some time tomorrow after school and college finishes. Dad won’t get home until 7 since he has a meeting at work. We finish at 4 so that gives us a good couple of hours to do some work. We’ll meet our friends at the café round the corner, it has internet. I’ll get Satya to bring a couple of laptops for us. With a group of us working together it should be sorted in a couple of days at most.” 

“Wow. You really thought that through.” Jesse was genuinely impressed sometimes by his sister’s organisational skills. How did she even know what Gabriel’s work schedule was?

“You’re easily impressed.” She shot him a grin and continued to rapidly type on her phone. “And sent.” 

As she spoke, Jesse’s phone went off with a soft beep. He reached for it and grinned.

HackThePlanet to lolthatsgay: Execute Order 66!

D.va to lolthatsgay: Sombra what the actual fuck

* * *

The next day, after clearing up the confusion that his sister’s ominous message had caused, Jesse met up with his friends in the nearby coffee shop to commence operation ‘Get Dad Laid’ as Sombra so eloquently named it. When the group had exchanged their greetings and hugs they settled down, with no small amount of caffeine, huddled around the laptop Satya had brought along.

“Anyone know any good dating sites?” Sombra started off the conversation. 

“I know of dating sites but whether they’re appropriate for your dad is a whole other question…” Genji offered and his brother let out a long suffering sigh. Zenyatta merely giggled.

“Does it matter what site you use, surely just look for a dating site on the internet and go for whichever one comes up first?” Amelie asked, looking not at all amused by the situation she currently found herself in. When nobody offered any kind of counter argument, Sombra shrugged and did as suggested. 

“Oh come on, surely you’re not going to use any old site?” Lena piped up, “This is important business, only the best will do!”

“Got any suggestions then, cherie?” Amelie turned to the Brit who immediately flushed red.

“Er, well, I didn’t exactly…I didn’t mean-” She stammered and Amelie smirked. Lucio cleared his throat awkwardly.

“Well, should we get down to the important stuff? Like profile details and things? Any ideas?” He addressed the group. Everyone shifted uncomfortably. 

“Er.”

“Well.”

“We could… no never mind.”

“Oh come on, does nobody have any ideas on where to start?” Lucio tried again but was met with silence.

“This is going to be a long couple of hours…” Jesse sighed and shifted in his seat to get more comfortable. It seemed he would be stuck in it for a while…

* * *

It took an hour for Lena to get bored and start jumping up and down in her seat which, to be quite honest, was impressive for her. It started with the soft rhythm of her crocs tapping against the tiled floor then moved up to her humming a soft jaunty tune. Then it escalated further to her whole legs swinging against the sofa, hitting the leather with a soft thump. After this, the British girl got more agitated and began to shuffle her whole body around, causing a series of squeaks and subsequent giggles at said noises. It wasn’t enough to bother most people but then again Satya Vaswani wasn’t ‘most people’. Still it was a surprise to them when the usually regal and elegant Satya slammed her latte cup onto the table with enough force to send some of the liquid spilling out the top. 

“Oh what is the point?” She exclaimed and everyone jumped again at her loud, frustrated tone.

“Er- something the matter, Satya?” A slightly oblivious Lena asked, legs still swinging jauntily back and forth. 

“This is the matter! This is such a waste of time!” She said, hand still clenched tightly around her coffee cup. 

“Ah come on now, it’s for a good cause!” Hana piped up.

“The cause of getting you two out of trouble or the cause of actually doing something nice for your father?” Hanzo directed his question at Sombra and Jesse with a raised brow.

“I have a constitutional right to not have to answer that question.” Sombra deadpanned and Jesse immediately whipped around to face her.

“I KNEW you’d read the law you little liar!” He said with no real venom in his tone. His sister merely shrugged at him and returned her attention to her still fuming girlfriend.

“Why’s it such a waste of time, querida?” She asked sweetly, clearly trying to placate the other girl.  
“Why do we have to search online, trawl through hundreds of people who use these damn sites in the hopes that maybe, just maybe, we might find someone? The chances are slim! Why don’t we just arrange a date with someone he knows?” Satya huffed

“Well our dad doesn’t exactly have the biggest group of friends in the world…” Jesse admitted, thinking about the few friends that he had seen their father spend any kind of time with. There was Ana but she was firstly, a woman and thus not exactly Gabriel’s type and secondly, happily married. Then there was Doctor Ziegler who batted for the other team and the only other one he could think of was Akande, a mysterious friend who to be frank Jesse knew very little about. Yeah there was no denying that their father was not the most sociable of people which might account for his current solitude. 

“What about that guy he used to date? What was his name…” Satya trailed off, the name clearly eluding her. 

“Oh, oh, you mean Jack!” Lena said excitedly. Hana and Lucio’s eyes widened and they spun around, quickly trying to shush a very confused Lena. 

“What? What’s the matter?” Lena sputtered, eyes flicking back and forth between the frustrated look of Amelie and the aggressively shushing motions of Hana and Lucio. 

“We don’t talk about he who must not be named!” Lucio hissed as Hana physically covered Lena’s mouth with her hand. 

“Guys, relax. It’s fine.” Jesse sighed, crossing his arms and sinking further into the couch. 

“Are-are you sure?” Lucio asked, slowly sitting back in his seat.

“It’s been 10 years, it’s alright.” Jesse shrugged dismissively but he was annoyed at the mention of the man he’d spent so long ignoring in his mind. It might’ve been 10 years but their little family certainly hadn’t forgotten the powerful figure in their lives that had been Jack Morrison and the mess he’d left behind.

***

Jack Morrison had come and gone in their life like a whirlwind. Gabriel had brought him over one evening for dinner, introducing him as a new friend from work. Sombra and Jesse had been too young to think too much of it and were just excited at having a new person around. It had especially helped that he brought the two children bags of sweets which was enough to win any child over. Sombra had initially been quiet around him, nervous about the arrival of a new stranger in the house, but after an hour or so, her stubbornness kicked in and she just had to yell over her big brother and be heard in the adult’s conversation. Gabriel had positively beamed at Sombra’s willingness to talk to a new person so soon and perhaps that’s why he fell too hard and too fast. 

5 months after they started dating, Gabriel told Jesse and Sombra that Jack would be living with them. After a painfully long explanation about him and Jack being more than just friends and no Sombra that does not mean we ‘touch butts’ whatever the hell that means where did you even hear that you’re 5 years old and a lot of sniggering from Jesse whenever he mentioned kissing; the two children were excitedly anticipating the arrival of a new person in their house. Sombra spoke to anyone at school who would listen about how Jack knew the best sweets to buy and didn’t tell her off when she took more than one cookie from the jar on the side. Jesse wouldn’t stop rambling about how cool Jack was and how he only watched the best TV shows and let Jesse stay up an extra half hour to finish watching cartoons. Gabriel just smiled at his kids and shook off Ana’s teasing comments about him being ‘hopelessly in love’. 

8 months into the relationship saw Gabriel walking down the high street when a jewellery shop caught his eye. An hour later and with significantly lighter pockets, he walked home with a small ring box in hand, mind already spinning with ideas. Angela had sighed when he’d told her what he was planning to do, muttering something about it having only been a few months but Ana had squealed delightedly down the phone, much to the horror of his eardrums. Reinhardt had bellowed from the background that he was proud and Gabriel laughed at his friends whilst also feeling a surge of happiness in his chest.

10 months after the pair had gone on their first date, Gabriel found himself on one knee in front of the man he knew he loved and who he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. Jack had cried, typical, and Sombra and Jesse had excitedly danced around the house before insisting on being involved in every part of the wedding. Gabriel was sure the kids’ knowledge of weddings was only what they’d taken from cartoons and questionable movies since Sombra kept insisting on protecting Jack from the inevitable alien attack on the day. Either way, Gabriel was pleased to have the 3 most important people in his life close and happy.

Sombra had run into school the next day, proudly showing off a photo of ‘her 2 dads’ and according to Jesse’s teacher, the boy had spent most of the day on the internet looking up the, and he quoted ‘raddest places’ to hold a wedding. Jack had to take the two to one side and tell them to calm it down a bit and the pair reluctantly agreed. Gabriel smiled as he watched Jack ruffle Jesse’s hair and sent the two troublemakers upstairs to get ready for bed. Gabriel was content. His children were the happiest they had been in years. Jack fit into their life perfectly. Even Gabriel himself was completely happy and wistful about what the future held.

He should’ve paid more attention, he told himself. He should’ve seen the troubled looks that Jack would give Sombra and Jesse when they had their backs turned. He should’ve noticed the tear tracks on his fiancé’s face in the mornings. He should’ve spotted the damn recruitment letter on the welcome mat.

12 months into the relationship and Jack sat on their couch, head in his hands, bags packed to the brim. Gabriel had ran to him, begged him to tell him what was wrong but Jack just took a deep breath and lifted his head up. He avoided Gabriel’s eyes, staring instead at the bookcase in the corner of the room. After a few minutes of deafening silence he spoke and his words felt like daggers into Gabriel’s very soul.

“I’m leaving.” 

Gabriel had gazed at him in shock and horror. He stammered out some question about why but Jack just shook his head again. Gabriel could feel himself crying now, hot tears streaking their way down his cheeks. But why? Was the only question he could come out with. I thought I meant something. I thought we meant something. Jack finally looked up and Gabriel felt his heart shatter. There were no tears on Jack’s face. No pain in his eyes. No sad expression. Just a deadpan stare and a monotonous voice.

“I’m going to war.”

But why war? Why the other side of the world? How long? Would he ever be back? The questions bubbled around Gabriel’s mind and yet he couldn’t force them out. He just kept stammering out the same question over and over again. Why. Why. Why.

“It’s what I want”

“I thought I was what you wanted.” Gabriel eventually managed to croak out before his tears silenced him again. Jack didn’t answer that, just rested his hand on Gabriel’s shoulder and rose to his feet. He picked up his bag and walked to the door. He paused before leaving, but he never looked back.

“Don’t wait for me, Gabe. It’s easier that way.” He whispered and like a gust of wind, he was gone. 

It wasn’t easier this way. When Sombra and Jesse got home from school they found their Dad laying on the sofa, crying and clutching his arms around himself. The two ran over to him to ask what the matter was.

“He’s gone. He left.” Was all Gabriel could get out before he started sobbing again. He clutched his children close and they let themselves be enveloped in a tight hug. It took some time for it to sink in, what had happened whilst they’d been gone. But when they realised, it was clear. Sombra gently started crying, her arms wrapping tighter around her dad and brother and her breath coming in short bursts. Jesse on the other hand went completely silent, staring into the distance as he held his sister closer to him. 

Jack Morrison had been like a hurricane in their life. Shortlived and destructive, with painful long-term effects that would take a lifetime to repair. Sombra regressed into her earlier state of quietness, refusing to talk to anyone other than her family and closest friends. Jesse stopped caring about school; his teachers remarked on his intense dip from top of the class to almost bottom. And Gabriel. Gabriel isolated himself from everything and everyone. He shut himself off at work, making himself as unapproachable as possible. He refused contact from anyone other than the close friends he could trust and when strangers would smile at him in the street he would look away immediately. Best not to form any connections. He wouldn’t let anyone hurt his kids ever again. Not after what Jack had done.

 

***  
“What was his surname?” Sombra asked out of the blue, jolting Jesse from the memories in his head.

“Morrison, wasn’t it?” Hana said. She had been one of Sombra’s earliest friends so knew all about the man in question.

“Jack Morrison? That’s his name?” Zenyatta questioned.

“Yep.” Hana replied, popping the p.

“Is he… tall? Blonde? Muscular-” 

“Looks like a bootleg Captain America? Yeah that’s him.” Sombra joked. Zenyatta looked thoughtful for a moment.

“I believe I know the man you’re talking about.” Everyone whipped around to stare at the Nepalese man. He blushed brightly at being the centre of attention and Genji gave him a little nudge and smile as reassurance. He cleared his throat before going on. “Jack Morrison lives in the neighbourhood that Mondatta and I visit for fundraising. He’s always very kind and donates very generously.” 

“You’re wrong, it can’t be him.” Jesse snapped.

“Jesse!” Genji snapped at his friend.

“What? It’s true! Jack went to war 10 years ago halfway across the globe. Why would he come back huh?” 

“Soldiers don’t generally stay in the country they serve in, Jesse.” Hana pointed out and Zenyatta nodded.

“From our brief chats with Mr Morrison he has mentioned serving in the Middle East but he said that an injury brought him back and has prevented him from serving any longer.” 

“Huh, what injury?” Lena asked and Amelie smacked her on the head, “OW! That hurt, luv!”

“Good. It’s rude to ask about people’s injuries, Lena.” She scolded and Lena pouted like a put out child. 

“I haven’t spoken to him enough to know but he does have a large scar on his face, I believe he was caught in an explosion of some kind.” Zenyatta offered the information and Lena practically beamed at having her question answered. 

“Why exactly are we talking about this? Jack left our dad, remember? Broke his damn heart. I don’t care if he’s back or not.” Jesse said adamantly. 

“Hey Jesse, what’s the name of that fancy restaurant round the corner from our house?” Sombra asked, typing furiously on her borrowed laptop.

“Hmm? Oh you mean Lijiang Tower?” Jesse replied

“That’s the one, thanks.” Sombra continued her typing.

“No prob-wait, why do you want to know?” Jesse turned to face his sister, a puzzled expression on his face. Sombra finally stopped typing and looked up at him.

“I just arranged a date for papá and Jack.” She said, looking very pleased with herself.

“You did WHAT?” Jesse practically exploded and the rest of their group shifted their gaze away and tried to look busy doing something else. They really didn’t want to get in the middle of a sibling argument. Hanzo and Genji could be bad enough but Jesse and Sombra were really something else. They didn’t actually argue very often but when they did, the whole damn town knew about it.

“I hope we don’t get kicked out again.” Lucio muttered to Hana as the pair of them pulled out their Nintendo’s .

“What’s the issue, Jesse?” Sombra asked innocently.  
“You just arranged a date for our dad, with the man who literally broke his heart.”

“Yes… and?” 

“AND? Sombra what is wrong with you? That’s a terrible idea!”

“I don’t see why? He loved him, Jesse!”

“He did, yes! And then Jack left him! Left us!” 

“But now he’s back. Surely we should give him a second chance.” Jesse really couldn’t believe his sister sometimes. He could only assume that, given she had been so young, she had forgotten all the pain the man had caused their family. 

“Do you need me to repeat the part about him breaking Dad’s heart?” 

“I know that, Jesse, believe me I know. But Satya is right.”

“Oh please don’t drag me into this.” Satya piped up, giving her girlfriend a harsh look. Sombra huffed.

“Look, the point is this. Our darling father is possibly one of the most socially inept people on this planet, aside from perhaps Hanzo.” Hanzo didn’t even bother gracing Sombra with a response. He merely stuck his middle finger up at her to which Sombra replied by blowing him a kiss.

“Okay yes I know that-”

“Alright and we also know that he loved Jack. Like a lot.”

“I’m aware of that Sombra but-”

“Jack fucked up, I know that. Trust me I do. But I think he’s our best shot.” 

“Sombra-”

“Jesse, please.” Sombra looked up at her brother pleadingly, “I know this may go badly but I honestly think that this is our best chance of seeing Dad genuinely happy again. I want him to be happy as much as you do and I think this is how we do it.”

Jesse sighed and looked at his sister. She looked genuinely desperate and for a minute Jesse forgot how old she was, forgot all the questionable illegal stuff she was doing and he just saw the small child who had once begged him not to leave. 

“If you believe this will work… we’ll try it. I trust you.” Sombra beamed and threw her arms around Jesse, much to the annoyance of Satya who was sandwiched between them.

“You’re the best, Jesse.” 

“Yeah, yeah I know.” 

The rest of the group raised their eyes to look at the siblings once more.  
“Is the coast clear?” Genji asked. Jesse just threw a straw at him in response. 

“Thank god for that.” Lena breathed a sigh of relief, “We didn’t even get kicked out!”

“Don’t speak too soon.” Satya muttered but the way she was smiling softly at Sombra showed there was no real venom there. The laptop in front of Sombra let out a soft ping and the three people closest to it leaned forwards to read the message that had come through.

Jack Morrison: Are you serious? I would love nothing more. But are you sure he wants to see me after all these years?

“Give it here.” Jesse motioned for the laptop and Sombra passed it over to him. He was taken aback for a minute. It wasn’t like Sombra to share her technology so readily, clearly she was trying to pay him back for trusting her with the whole date situation. It was a small gesture, but Jesse appreciated it none the less. 

Sombra Reyes: Don’t worry about him. Just be there and we’ll make sure he’s there too.

“Oooh mysterious, bro. I love it.” Sombra grinned wickedly at him, “Good to see that bad boy behaviour isn’t just being used in bed with Hanzo.”

“SOMBRA!”

***  
Gabriel heard the door click open and in came the familiar chatter of his two kids. He steeled himself and stood up from his seat at the table, turning to face the entry to the kitchen. 

“Hey, would you two come here for a minute?” He said loudly and the chatter died down. 

“Sure…” Sombra replied in a reluctant sounding tone.

The two walked into the kitchen, bags thrown over their shoulders and quizzical looks on their faces. Presumably they were wondering what exactly they were getting in trouble for this time. 

“You’re not in trouble, so relax.” He said and immediately he saw Sombra breathe a sigh of relief.

“What do you want then?” Jesse asked.

“Well first of all don’t think I didn’t notice that school and college finished 3 hours ago and you’ve only just got back.”

“Hey! You said we weren’t in trouble!” Sombra piped up and Gabriel held up a hand to silence her.

“You’re not, I was unfair to ground you yesterday. You’re adults who can do what you want and I shouldn’t be able to just stop you from spending time with your friends. So, I suppose I’m apologising.”

“Aww thanks, papá, I forgive you and it’s okay we’re all in the wrong sometimes-” Sombra started and Gabriel and Jesse both frowned at her.

“Sombra I never said I was in the wrong, I said I overreacted. You still did something illegal! You’re still the one in the wrong!”

“But you said-” Sombra was cut off by Jesse jabbing her in the side with his elbow. She turned to glare at him.

“Don’t push it!” He hissed and Gabriel let out a low chuckle. 

“Listen to your brother.” He smiled at her and she responded with a huff.

“So… does this mean we’re not grounded?” Jesse asked, clearly wanting it to be spelled out for him. Gabriel sighed at his eldest child.

“No Jesse, you’re not grounded.” 

“Hmm that’s a real shame that you say that now, papá.” Gabriel raised an eyebrow at his daughter.

“What is it?” He asked, already dreading the answer.

“See, Hanzo invited Jesse out for a really nice dinner tonight. I’m talking real fancy. 5 star. The whole shebang-”

“What’s your point, Sombra?” Gabriel interrupted.

“Okay so Jesse basically had to say no to a free expensive meal with his boyfriend because he thought he was grounded so I think you should make it up to him. Right, Jesse?” With that comment she nudged Jesse who looked like he genuinely had no idea what was going on.

“Hmm? Oh- oh yeah. Real fancy. Real nice.” He managed to stammer out and Gabriel saw Sombra roll her eyes in the edge of his vision. 

“Anyway, my point is that you should make up for it by taking your two darling children out for a fancy dinner.” Sombra finished and Gabriel couldn’t help but laugh at the nerve of his daughter.

“Alright, alright. You know if you want to go out for dinner you can just suggest it normally.” He pointed out as he crossed his arms against his chest and smirked at his kids. The pair exchanged a look before Sombra answered.

“Okay but where’s the fun in that?” 

***

The next Friday, their small family found themselves standing outside Lijiang Tower dressed in their nicest clothes, at Sombra’s insistence. Even Jesse had left his gaudy cowboy hat at home which really was something special. Gabriel didn’t feel completely comfortable in such a fancy suit, but both his children looked excited at the idea of spending the evening in such a nice restaurant and he doubted the place would let him in wearing his hoodie. In all honesty, Gabriel would never have chosen this restaurant, not because of the cost or anything like that, but because he wasn’t the biggest fan of places that served incredibly small, mediocre tasting dishes. But as it was, Sombra had booked the restaurant and just told him where it was they’d be going and he just went along with it. Perhaps it wasn’t normal to let your 16 year old daughter book a restaurant for you but then again they didn’t really have what could be described as a normal family.

“Soooo are we going in or not?” Sombra’s voice disrupted his thoughts and he shook his head. He turned around to see Jesse fixing him with a worried look and Sombra rocking back and forth on her feet.

“Oh yeah, sorry. Got lost in thought.” Sombra grinned cheekily at him.

“Yeah I saw. You got this glassy look in your eyes like your consciousness was leaving your very body.” Jesse walked over and gently smacked the back of Sombra’s head.

“Just shut up and go in.” He told her and although she huffed and stuck her tongue out at him, she did as instructed. 

The interior of the restaurant was about what he had expected. Every surface seemed to be covered in either glass, marble or some shiny gold looking substance and all the waiters and waitresses were dressed more immaculately than anyone in their family was. He immediately felt out of place and it felt like everyone in the whole room was judging them. He yanked his children closer to him and although Jesse grumbled slightly, he let himself be pulled along towards the bored looking host. The man immediately looked down at Jesse and Sombra and Gabriel felt himself bristle. 

“Can I help you?” The man asked incredulously, clearly thinking they were lost and had stumbled in somehow. 

“Reservation for 7pm, Reyes.” Sombra piped up and she smiled at the host. He didn’t return it. 

“Ah yes. Your guest is already here.”

Guest? What guest was he talking about? Perhaps Satya or Hanzo had come along to keep their significant others company. Gabriel was just about to turn to his kids to ask them who they’d invited along, and whether or not they’d be paying for themselves, when a familiar face caught his eye.

It wasn’t exactly as he remembered. The hair was several shades lighter, almost white in colour now as opposed to the sandy yellow he was used to. His shoulders were wider, and he looked bulkier than he had before. He also sported a nasty looking scar across his face, marring his features. But those beautiful blue eyes still had the same sparkle they always had. There was no mistaking those eyes. It was Jack Morrison. Except it couldn’t be. Jack had run away. He’d gone halfway across the globe and abandoned Gabriel here. There was no way he could be here, in a restaurant round the corner from the house he walked away from. 

The man with Jack’s eyes turned around and looked straight at where Gabriel stood. He immediately averted his eyes and turned to look at Jesse and Sombra.

“We have to leave.” He said quickly.

“Dad what the hell? We just got here- oh.” Sombra cut herself off, looking behind her dad.

“Long time no see.” A familiar gravelly voice said from behind him. Gabriel let out a sigh and braced himself. Slowly he turned around and looked into the eyes that lived only in his dreams.

“Hello.” Was all he said. Up close there was no denying that this had to be his Jack. Everything about him was the same. Slightly aged and marred by the pain of war, but it was undeniably him. 

“Soooo, we’re going to leave you two to it. We’ll be in McDonalds if you need us.” Sombra spoke up and Gabriel whipped around to face her.

“What? Sombra, what have you done?” He almost snarled and his daughter’s eyes widened.

“Okay, see you later papá, love you!” Jesse burst out, yanking his sister by the hand and pulling her out the restaurant faster than he had ever seen them move before. A throat cleared behind him and he returned his attention to the ghost.

“They’re troublemakers.” He said with a small smile.

“Yeah, they really are.” He tried to return the smile, but he couldn’t bring himself to.

“Should we… go sit?” Jack motioned towards the table and Gabriel nodded. They walked past the host, who was still looking at them with a definite sense of disgust, and took a seat at the extravagantly decorated table. He looked up at Jack through the light of the candle in the table centre and the flickering light on his face reminded him of late nights in front of the fireplace, warm kisses, gentle touches, soft nothings. The promise of a future together filled with joy and love. 

“Why are you back, Jack?” He asked, unable to stop the question from escaping his lips. Jack looked up at him with sadness clear in his eyes.

“War’s not exactly a barrel of laughs, Gabe. I got blown up, I came home.” 

“This isn’t your home. You made that very clear to me 10 years ago.” Gabriel pointed out, venom clear in his voice. Jack sighed deeply before answering.

“Of course it’s my home. Where else would I go? The only place where I ever felt like I truly belonged was by your side.” 

“Quit the bullshit Jack. You walked out on me. Clearly you didn’t really care.” He narrowed his eyes at the man across the table who flinched slightly in response.

“Of course I cared, leaving you wasn’t an easy decision.”

“And yet it was the decision you made.” Jack paused at that.

“It was a mistake.” Gabriel couldn’t help the snort that he let out in response.

“No shit. You walked out on me. You walked out on Sombra and Jesse. You left us. Do you know how much that hurt, Jack? I’d say you did more than ‘make a mistake.” The more Gabriel spoke, the angrier he could feel himself become. 10 years of loneliness and pain crept up and forced their way out of his mouth and he couldn’t stop them even if he wanted to.

“I’m so sorry, Gabriel, really I am.” He said softly, eyes turned down, staring at the tablecloth. 

“Sorry doesn’t take the hurt away. Sorry doesn’t take away the shit that the three of us went through.” 

“I know it won’t, Gabe. God, I wish it would but it won’t and it hurts that I can’t take the pain away, all I can do is say I’m sorry. Just know I mean it.” Jack rambled and Gabriel just let out a deep breath, trying to control his anger and sadness that was building up inside his chest.

“Why did you leave?” He asked and Jack sighed.

“I thought I’d been given what I wanted. Growing up I always wanted to be a soldier, to go and protect people, to see justice done. So when the recruitment letter came in, I couldn’t resist. I overlooked the perfect life I had in front of me and went chasing a childish fantasy. And look what happened.” Jack gestured to the scar on his face.

“War not what you thought it would be?” Gabriel asked bitterly.

“Don’t get me wrong, I had no illusions that it would be all fun and games but I thought what we were doing was right. There’s only so many times you can watch a bunch of kids be blown up before you start to question whether you’re actually doing anything. Then the bomb exploded in my face and here I am.” The two fell silent for a minute before Gabriel breathed a deep sigh. 

“Why are you here, Jack? What do you want?” He eventually asked and Jack let out a small giggle. The sound made Gabriel’s heart leap in his chest and he cringed internally. It seemed Jack was still about to make his heart soar, even after all these years. Even after all the betrayal.

“Your kids.”

“What?” He asked, squinting across the table at Jack.

“Your kids. They messaged me. Well, Sombra did. Just out of the blue last week asking if I wanted to go on a date with you.” 

“Are… are you serious?” Gabriel asked and Jack laughed softly. And god how he’d missed that sound. 

“Yep, couldn’t quite believe it myself. Said something about you being a, and I quote, moody shit because you were lonely.” 

“I’m not a moody shit.” Gabriel said, frowning.

“That frown says otherwise.” Jack replied, cheekily. 

“So, my daughter asked you on a date… for me?” Gabriel asked, seriously needing clarification on this situation.

“Pretty much. Told me to come here at a certain time and that they’d arrange getting you here. How did they manage that by the way?”

“Told me they deserved a fancy dinner since I overreacted and snapped at them.” He explained.

“What did they do?” He questioned

“Sombra hacked into her school files and changed her grades and Jesse was at his boyfriends so didn’t do anything to stop her.” Jack stared at him in disbelief

“Isn’t that illegal?” He hissed across the table and Gabriel grinned, excited to finally be able to discuss his daughter’s antics with someone.

“Oh that’s not even the worst thing she’s done.” Jack shuffled forward in his seat and leaned across the table.

“Tell me.” He insisted.

***  
“Excuse me gentlemen, the restaurant is closing. We’re going to need you to leave now.” An impatient waitress walked past their table and spoke to them. Jack looked up at her in surprise and then his gaze flicked to his watch.

“Oh crap, I didn’t know it was so late.” He said, “Are Jesse and Sombra going to be ok?”

“They’re 16 and 18. I’m pretty sure they’ll be okay.” Gabriel pointed out and Jack chuckled.

“Oh yeah, I kind of keep forgetting that.” 

“Come on, let’s head out.” Gabriel said, pulling his chair out and walking around to pull Jack’s out too. The other man looked impressed.

“Such a gentleman.” He complimented, Gabriel just responded with a grin.

The pair walked out the restaurant side by side, arms brushing softly against each other causing sparks to fly in Gabriel’s mind. He didn’t try and push the feeling away. They walked in silence for a minute before Jack cleared his throat.

“So, er, are you still mad at me?” He asked, looking up at Gabriel nervously.

“Oh fuck yes.” He answered simply. Jack looked taken aback.

“But-”

“I’m still unbelievably mad. You walked out on me, but more importantly you walked out on my kids. You broke my damn heart. I hurt for years and Jesse and Sombra were just as bad.”

“I thought-” Gabriel held a hand up and Jack immediately closed his mouth.

“I’m mad Jack. I will be for a while. But my kids apparently forgive you. They wanted you to go on a date with me even after all the shit you did. That means a lot to me.”

“They’re good kids but they’re maybe not the best judge of character.” Jack muttered and Gabriel took the other man’s hands in his own. They felt rough and scarred, but he still felt the familiar warmth settle in his chest as they stood hand in hand.

“No, they are. You’re a good man, Jack. You were my good man once. And, in time, I think you could be again.” 

“You’re giving me a second chance?” Jack asked slowly, as though not quite daring to believe it. 

“I suppose I am. Maybe I’m an idiot for doing so. But I still love you, Jack, and I want to give us another shot.” 

“You are an idiot. But you’re my idiot.” Jack said with a slight smile playing on his lips.

“Jesus Christ, Jack. You’re an absolute nightmare.” Gabriel groaned. Jack’s smile widened into a full-on grin.

“Yeah, but I’m your nightmare.” 

“One I can’t wake up from.” Gabriel murmured and he pulled Jack’s head towards him.

Their lips met in a soft kiss and Gabriel smiled as Jack gently caressed the side of his face. He squeezed Jack’s hands with his own and was rewarded by Jack pushing deeper into the kiss. It was the softest kiss he’d probably ever had in his life and yet it felt like the most wonderful. Jack was here. Jack was home once more.

***  
Sombra took another slurp of her milkshake as she and Jesse stared out the window at the two men kissing in the street.

“You know, this is actually pretty gross.” Sombra pointed out, “I don’t want to watch my dad making out with someone.”

“They’re hardly making out Sombra.” Jesse pointed out. Sombra slurped her milkshake again, the sound obnoxiously loud. 

“It’s still gross.” 

“Maybe. But we wanted to make sure they actually made up and didn’t kick each other’s asses.” Jesse pointed out and Sombra shrugged but offered no counter argument. She took one final slurp of her drink before popping it onto the table next to her. 

“Well at least we can safely say it was a success.” She said matter of factly, grinning at her brother with her arms across her chest.

“It really was. I’m not sure what I expected but I didn’t think it would go this well.” Jesse admitted, taking one last look at Gabriel who was standing in front of Jack, the brightest grin he’d ever seen on his father’s face.

“Oh please, of course it would go this well. They’re each other’s one true loves. Kindred spirits. Soulmates. All that shit.” Sombra said dismissively and Jesse squinted at her.

“You really believe all that stuff?” He questioned.

“I didn’t know if I did. But look at them,” She nodded towards the window, “they’re so happy together, they work so well. Even after everything they come together and meet with love and smiles. 10 years apart and they’re still hopelessly in love with each other, there’s been nobody else in their lives. I can’t look at them and think they’re not soulmates.” 

“That’s… pretty beautiful Sombra.” Jesse admitted. Sombra just rolled her eyes.

“Don’t make this a precious family moment, I beg of you.” 

“Fine, fine. I do have to say though, I’m impressed.” Sombra raised an eyebrow at that. 

“Que?”

“I trust you and all, but I’m impressed you knew that these two would come together like this. The fact that you knew they’d meet and Dad wouldn’t instantly try and tear Jack’s throat out. I didn’t know what to expect but you knew. I’m impressed, I really am.” Jesse said honestly and Sombra smiled back at him.

“What can I say? I just know people.” She stood up and brushed the crumbs off her dress. She stretched and began to walk towards the store exit. Before pushing the door open, she paused and turned around to look at Jesse with a shit eating grin.

“Oh. And I also hacked Dad’s email account and saw all the gooey love emails he wrote for Jack but was too scared to actually send.” 

Jesse choked on his apple pie.

**Author's Note:**

> If you ever walk out on someone you're in a relationship with here's a top tip! Don't walk out on them without saying anything to their kids. That's possibly one of the worst things you can do. Just don't be an ass like dumbo Jack was!


End file.
